24 Season Six, Hours Eight and Nine: Just Call me Susan

In Season Five, I covered a few double hour episodes, but the one that sticks in my head the most was the one where poor Edgar Stiles was killed off by the Sentox nerve gas during hours 11 and 12. That shook me and the rest of the 24 viewing world. With Morris being kidnapped and a future of coercement, I have to be worried about him. I like this guy. I think he’s a good addition to CTU, he speaks his mind, but isn’t overly cruel. If he turns out being a mole, I’ll be a sad gurl. If he dies, I’ll be a sad gurl. I’d cross my fingers, but that doesn’t make for super typing.

At CTU, Chloe is working slowly, she’s freaking out about Morris. When Milo told Bill that she was not up to par, he was naturally concerned and stopped by to check on her and her progress. Chloe was naturally half-crazed and bitched out Bill.

“Chloe, s’up?”

“I’m fine, I’d be better if you just stopped bothering me”

So, he had Milo take over. Meanwhile, the kidnapped Morris is trying to act a bit tough while in backseat of the fleeing car. When Milo found McCarthy’s pretty Maserati on satellite, CTU dispatched a team in a chopper. McCarthy makes Blondie drive all crazy like to lose the bird overhead. Soon as they can, they stop and steal a pickup truck to confuse everyone.

Morris tries to talk to Blondie while McCarthy is breaking into the truck; he sees that he might be getting through to her, especially when she starts haranguing McCarthy as they drive off in the truck. “You didn’t tell me this was going to involve more nukes” He reminds her of the cool seven million dollars that is waiting for them at Fayed’s place.

When Jack finds out that McCarthy et al have switched rides, he utters his first “Damnit” of the hour (Drink Up).

WOW. Blondie shoots McCarthy! She decides though, that she still wants the 7 mil, so she’s going to keep on with the kidnapping and delivery of Morris to Abu Fayed.

At the White House (Bunker), Tom is feeling just as ballistic as Jack. Tom wants to resign. Reed calls a mysterious dude named Carter. There was a plan evidently, a shadowy plan that’ll get f&#ked if Tom and Reed leave the White House. Hmm. Just what we need… more shadow groups.

At CTU Bill has to tell Marilyn that her husband is dead. Immediately she’s asking – “What did Jack do?” Bill assures here there will be a full investigation. Chloe is feeling a little better, she manages to choke back her tears and is able to reconfigure this, and hack into that, and they have origination of Fayed’s phone call to McCarthy.

Jack says, “Perimeter” (All Smoke).

Al-Assad is at the White House and Wayne is laying down the law. Hey, he’s not whispering… as much.

Back at where they now know is Fayed’s safe house; Jack has arrived and starts to take charge. Hey, wasn’t CTU field agent Turner the same guy who was the point man at Graham Bauer’s’ house? Anyway, CTU pulls a fire alarm in Fayed’s building while Morris was getting the crap beaten out of him with a baseball bat (à la Robert De Niro’s Al Capone in The Untouchables), then nearly drowned, and finally getting drilled in the shoulder. Icky. We hear him mutter in his cute accent, “I’ve had it with this MF torture in this MF (un) safe house!”

And in the bunker, Reed tries to present a shadow of a plan to Tom, “What if the President was no longer in charge?” Tom is horrified by Reed’s ‘musings.’

Back at the ‘safe’ house, Morris finally agrees to help build the triggers. He finishes, and Fayed orders one of his bombs to be armed. He starts to leave, not before commanding a goon to kill Morris. Just in time, Jack and CTU burst in, but not quite a blaze of glory. Yes, they save Morris, but Fayed is gone, and there’s a lovely armed suitcase bomb tick-tocking away.

Jack says Perimeter AND Damnit just within seconds of each other (All may Drink and Light Up).

He disarms the bomb. I change my underwear. Jack is incredulous and angry that Morris gave Fayed ‘something that worked.’ Maybe it’s just me, but I would have gone with, “Gee, are you OK?” as a follow up.

When this news reaches the White House, Tom asks Reed to tell him more about his plan. Damn, I thought Tom had a bit of a conscience.

Funny, right after we see Assad is sort of commiserating with Prez Wayne about taking the lonely unpopular course, and how he will have enemies, we are then shown the adjoining frame which has Tom skulking around, to meet Reed, to have “The Talk.” Reed asks for Wayne’s itinerary. Tom asks for more details, but Reed dredges up the old “plausible deniability” thing. Tom shuts up.

When CTU checked the hard drive of a computer from the safe house, they found a bit of an email that pointed to Gredenko. The email had a Pacific coast timestamp.

Chloe goes to see Morris, who is beyond despondent. He feels guilty, not to mention quite sore.

Well, Phillip Bauer is a skunk. He goes through Graham's effects, deleting phone numbers from his dead son’s cell. He then makes sad comments that vaguely lay the guilt on Jack for his involvement in his death. He then calls someone, telling him to make sure that Gredenko is killed.

Bill has to talk to Jack about the whole thing. Bill listens; he offers to adjust the report before it goes to division. Jack won’t hear of it.

“I’m a bad, bad man. Please send me back to China.”

Luckily Bill ignores that last part.

Marilyn isn’t all that mad at Jack for possibly killing Graham. She does seem to remember Graham having an involvement with some Russian men. Jack arranges to take Marilyn around the neighborhood that she last remembered seeing Graham meeting with some Ruskies. Nasty Dad Phillip knows something is up, and he pumps Marilyn for info, and he learns that he should send his goons hunting in East L.A. Then he offers to take Josh to his place, so he’ll in more comfortable surroundings.

No! Marilyn, don’t do it!

She agrees. Damnit (No you can’t drink – I said it, not Jack. Oh, all right, stop giving me the puppy dog eyes; go have a drink if you must!).

Chloe really gives Morris a talking-to. She previously tried the ‘aw what could you do don’t beat yourself up about it’ talk – now she switches to the ‘get your ass on the floor, we’re shorthanded.’ He calls her on this, saying that a pep talk ain’t gonna do it for him. So, Chloe does something that we’ve missed seeing on 24, she slaps him one. I can’t really call this a bitch slap, because Morris wasn’t being a total dope. But she was frustrated as all heck with everything, and again chastises Morris for feeling sorry for himself, and tells him to get back to work. For good measure, she moves to strike him again, but he neatly blocks her strike and counters with a spear hand to her throat, followed with a downward elbow strike.

No, not really.

While Marilyn and Jack are out joyriding around, she gets a call from Phillip. He calmly tells her that she better point out a different house entirely, or he’ll hurt Josh. He gives her another address, and tells her to call him Susan.

“Surely you don’t mean this.”

“Yes, I mean it, and stop calling me Shirley!”

“Sorry. Well, I’ll be glad as heck when this is all over”

“Stop calling me Gladys! I told you – CALL ME SUSAN!”

Of course, Marilyn zips her lip when Jack asks if everything is OK. I hate when people do this! If it were me, I’d open my trap so fast and spill it all. I’m no good at keeping secrets. Well, let me take that back. I’m actually quite skilled at vaulting things, but in this situation, I’d be a little more forthcoming.

So, they find the supposed Gredenko hideout, Jack and crew go in, only to find a small blinking machine.

“BOMB! Everyone out!”

Jack, and hopefully the rest made it out before the building was blown up. Milo grabs Marilyn and stows her in one of the vans and off they go. Of course, Bad Dad Phillip’s goons are hovering and open fire on Milo and Marilyn. Marilyn is screaming, but her eyebrows never looked better. Good girl.

I gotta tell ya–I never, ever miss your takes on 24. They’re actually the best part of Day 6. Maybe I’m a woos, but if I had just had my shoulder blade power drilled, I don’t think I’d have been quick enough to stop an incoming slap.

Ray, gosh, thank you so much. Sometimes we never know what people think of our stuff unless they post a comment.

Yeah, good point about Morris – and the messed up shoulder. I’d have to go back and review my tape, but I’m pretty sure it was his left shoulder that got drilled, and I thought he raised his right hand to block her strike?

becky

Can I just say, I mean, I’m loving this season of 24 but this last 2 hours, I mean, come on…..Morris gets drilled and an hour later he’s walking around, getting slapped in the back and not flinching??? I’m not a dr. but I would presume that a drill to a bone would need more than a bandage??????

That scene with the drill is classic stuff. You could almost see Jack thinking, “Note to self…” Perhaps he will use that on someone else this season (maybe even Fayed himself). Believe me, there is going to be a Jack-Fayed confrontation. I can’t wait!

Oh, and Marilyn is like the anti-Audrey, isn’t she? I wonder if we’re being set-up for Jack to actually find happiness with her and Josh (creating a new nuclear family). Hmmm.

DMAC

Season 6 is crap. I lived for this show every season prior, and the wind-up of Season 5 was a killer. Now….the White House scenes look like a student acting seminar. Even Chloe’s cute scowl looks painted on. There are no interesting side characters aside from Morris, and he’s…okay.

It feels like…dare I say it…a sequel in a dying franchise.

Does no one else agree?

Sopsy

I wana be like Jack. E had only been caught once when e was with d microchip. No gunshot on is body,e doesnt eat,e doesnt sleep.I hope e do go 4 a shower? Lol. I like jack…So cunny and crafty.